5 great players who failed badly at RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are arguably the IPL side with the most passionate fans. Over the years, a number of high-profile players have donned the RCB jersey, and there have been some remarkable performances from them too. But unfortunately for the fans, the team has never won the title.
While Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers remain the biggest names to have played for RCB, players like Chris Gayle too were at their prolific best in red and gold. But despite splurging big on players at auctions, the side have never managed to string together consistent performances to go all the way.
Here, we take a look at five players who failed at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB):
#5 Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum was a big reason why the IPL became a smashing hit in its very first season. The New Zealand captain opened the IPL with an exhilarating knock of 158 against RCB. However, after he was snapped up by the Bangalore-based side, he could never really make his presence felt.
At Bangalore, McCullum was a shadow of the dominant self that set the stage alight for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions. While he scored 841 runs for CSK in 28 games, he could only score 127 runs in six innings for RCB at an average of 21.17.
In his book that was published after he called it quits from the game, McCullum revealed that he never felt a part of the set-up and that the team was never consistent with its selection.
#4 Albie Morkel
Albie Morkel was absolutely stellar for the Chennai Super Kings; he was an instrumental part of their side for six years. In 78 matches for CSK, Morkel scored 827 runs at a strike rate of 144.83 and picked up 76 wickets as well.
However, his performances dipped when he was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Such was his inconsistency that he could only play seven matches for RCB in the IPL, and score only 45 runs along with taking four wickets with the ball.
RCB’s search for a seam bowling all-rounder continues, and the Albie Morkel experiment never really took off.
#3 Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock was another high-profile signing at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The left-hander was expected to fill the void left behind by Chris Gayle.
However, the South African batter couldn't quite justify the expectations on his shoulders. De Kock played eight matches in IPL 2018, scoring 201 runs at a strike rate of 124.07.
Bangalore eventually traded him to the Mumbai Indians for a Rs. 2.8 crore deal.
#2 Eoin Morgan
The former England captain was another big player who could never make a mark in the IPL. He was also part of RCB in 2010.
The partnership never really worked as Morgan played six fixtures in which he could only manage 35 runs off 30 balls. The southpaw was released by the side and a month later, he won the T20 World Cup with England.
Morgan has since played for SRH and KKR but has not made a lasting impact. But he transformed England’s white-ball side, leading them to the ODI World Cup in 2019.
#1 Shane Watson
Shane Watson was widely considered to be the perfect T20 player. He was superb for the Rajasthan Royals in the initial years, and then ended his IPL career with a bang with the Chennai Super Kings.
However, he couldn't justify his potential with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Watson was superb with the ball when he signed for INR 9.5 crore in 2016, as he ended with 20 wickets. Next season though, things went south for the all-rounder.
In 2017, the Aussie scored 67 runs and picked up only five wickets. These were his lowest returns among all the IPL seasons he had played.